A pro-Russian fighter places a black box from the crashed
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on a table while handing it over from
Donetsk People's Republic officials to Malaysian representatives
in the city of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, July 22, 2014. Senior
Ukrainian separatist leader Aleksander Boroda, (wearing a blue
jacket) stands off to the right.
A senior separatist leader, Aleksander Borodai, handed over two
black boxes from an airliner downed over eastern Ukraine to
Malaysian experts in the city of Donetsk in the early hours of
Tuesday.

“Here they are, the black boxes,” Borodai told a room packed
with journalists at the headquarters of his self-proclaimed
Donetsk People's Republic as an armed rebel placed the boxes
on a desk.

Both sides then signed a document, which Borodai said was a
protocol to finalize the procedure after lengthy talks with the
Malaysians.

“I can see that the black boxes are intact, although a bit
damaged. In good condition,” Colonel Mohamed Sakri of
Malaysian National Security Council said in extending his thanks
to “His Excellency Mr. Borodai” for passing on the recorders.

Borodai also said a train carrying the remains of the victims of
the Malaysia Airlines plane crash has reached Donetsk. It is on
its way to Kharkiv, some 300 km (186 miles) northwest.

The Malaysian experts and a Dutch delegation also on site in
Donetsk will travel along with it, he said.

U.N. Security Council resolution
The U.N. Security Council on Monday afternoon unanimously
passed a resolution condemning the downing of the Malaysian
passenger jet and demanded that pro-Russian separatists
controlling the crash site allow investigators unrestricted
accesss to the area.

Council member Australia, which had 37 nationals aboard the
flight, drafted the resolution. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop
traveled to New York for the vote.

She said Russia, which backs
the separatists, must use its influence to ensure the resolution is
implemented.

"We must have answers; we must have justice. We owe it to the
victims and families to determine what happened and who was
responsible," said Bishop.
U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said a resolution should not
have been necessary.

"We welcome Russia's support for today's resolution. But no
resolution would have been necessary had Russia used its
leverage with the separatists on Thursday, getting them to lay
down their arms and leave the site to international experts. Or
on Friday. Or on Saturday. Or even yesterday, " said Power.